DANCE DREAM UNIT: MODE/D Campaign Story
Chapter Index
Results Announcement
After the auditions were over, Nice-P announced the final results in Final Ceremony on November 9th, 2024. Below is the excerpt for MODE/D!
Dance Dream Unit: MODE/D!
“Who demonstrated his brilliance as if he was the protagonist of the ball, Isara Mao!”
“Who excels at bold and free dance that inspires the heart, Tsukinaga Leo!”
“Who has an outstanding sense of rhythm and a charm that makes the audience smile, Morisawa Chiaki!”
“Who is beautiful in each and every moment, from his fingertips to his toes, Tomoe Hiyori!”
Translation by Mika Enstars from the story Final Ceremony.
Profile Cards
Profile Card translations by @enstarsENG. Original Japanese posts can be found here: Mao — Leo — Chiaki — Hiyori
MV: LOCK YOUR GAZE
Note: The choreography of LOCK YOUR GAZE was done by kazuki from sh**t kingz. The group is behind the choreography of many well-known songs, like NCT U’s "The 7th Sense" and Exo’s "Lotto"!
Story
Nice-P & Mao
Season: Summer (ES 2nd Year, early June)
I expect nothing less from you, Isara-kun! You’ve got such a gorgeous energy to you, that no matter where you dance, it feels as though you’re in the center of a stage!
The moment I entered the room, my eyes were fixed to you. You’ve evolved even further since the duo dance you showed us at the ball.1
Dancing has always been my greatest strength, you see…♪ But I’m super happy to hear that from you, Nice-P!2
MODE/D is made up of people who excel at dancing, and that’s exactly why I hope to show off every single thing I’m capable of, to the best of my ability!
Mhm, mhm, such a Nice declaration! It’s going to be a must to check out your performances moving forward! ☆
Nice-P & Leo
Tsukinaga-kun, you’re extremely quick to make any choreography into your own…!
I never could’ve imagined you would manage this much while we’re still at the practice stage. You’ve got such a Nice dance that makes me want to join in with you. ♪
Ah, I see you came too, Nice-P! I was so absorbed with my dancing that I didn’t notice at all! But I’m happy for the compliments! ☆
The reason I can dance so freely is ‘cuz the god of music always tells me, “You’ll look cool if you dance like this!” And I manage to do it well whenever I follow those words~♪
That style of approaching things is truly just like you; it is absolutely Nice! I look forward to seeing the final product. ♪
Nice-P & Chiaki
Morisawa-kun, that pose just now was absolutely Nice!
That movement perfectly slots in with the music, and suits the air of the song just right! You won me over with that powerful gaze too; it perfectly communicated to me your intended message!
Thank you very much! What I just danced is a crucial moment to influence the air of the song, so I made sure to practice it several times.3
The fact you noticed means the efforts of my practice are coming to fruition, right? It’s an honor to receive a Nice from you, Nice-P!
Fufu. I would love to lavish you with several Nice’s right now, but I’ll hold onto them for the time being. I have high hopes for your performance on the final product as well, Morisawa-kun! ☆
Nice-P & Hiyori
Tomoe-kun, you make a fine art no matter the part. Your performance ‘captivates’ your surroundings with every angle of your body, even in the split second movements of your hands.
Your performance acts as the perfect accent flavor to this group! Very Nice! ☆
Heheh, aren’t you quite skilled at praising me, Nice-P! You’re free to praise me some more! That would be such fine weather…♪
But I’m aware you gave me an even better evaluation at Gourmet District.4 I won’t get satisfied with this just yet; I plan to aim for much greater heights.
Fufu. I look forward to seeing the sort of Nice you bring out of me, Tomoe-kun. ♪
Special Story
Season: Summer (ES 2nd year, early June)
Hello, everyone. I see you’re all here.
Ah, Nice-P!
Hello, thank you for your hard work! We look forward to working with you today! ☆3
Fufu, how Nice to see such energy from the first day of practice. This means I can have high expectations for the four of you in MODE/D, as well.
Heheh, failure is simply impossible for this Nice Dream Unit when I’m here, you know!
Yup, yup! And I’m here, too! Just sit back and relax like you’re in a huge cruise ship!
Still, we only met up to touch base, so why did we gather at the dance room? Are we going to start practicing straight away?2
What a Nice question, Isara-kun. I was just about to explain the details of that.
As mentioned in the documents I sent you the other day, I will have you present a new song as MODE/D.
And so, as promotional material for that new song, I hope to have you all film a “dance practice video”.
Dance practice video?
That’s the one you usually see in video-streaming sites, where the dancing’s filmed with a fixed camera, right?
Indeed. Watching an idol dance outside of a stage isn’t something people get to see often. I’m sure the fans would enjoy a video like that.
Giving the fans a surprise before the actual final product is truly something only Nice-P would think up. Don’t you think so, Isara!?
Eh? You’re asking me?
Fufu. I’m happy to hear that from you. The most important thing is that the people taking on the challenge are inspired to do their best, after all.
So, when will we be filming the video!?
Filming starts today. It’ll be starting in two hours!
In two hours…!?
Ohhh, an improv! Sounds good, sounds real good! It’s so thrilling when we have no clue what could happen next!
Why do we need to film so suddenly? Don’t we have enough time in our schedule to film later?
‘Dance practice video’ translates as ‘dance renshuu douga’ in Japanese.5
The ‘dance’ is also English, you know.
Fufu, what a Nice comeback, Tomoe-kun.
That aside, the usual you see on video-streaming sites is the perfected dance after many, many days of practice, correct?
However, it would be dull to simply film the typical dance practice video. I’d like to show a video that can only be achieved through members who were specifically selected for their dancing.
Members specifically selected for their dancing…?
The point is, filming starts in two hours. For now, just trust me and do your best in practice.
The four of you won fair and square in a harsh audition, so it’s surely a possible feat for you.
Sound of door opening and closing
—And he’s gone.
Mm~ I can’t figure out Nice-P’s intentions at all! Does he mean that a performance that isn’t complete is better?
But I’d hate to show a video with shoddy quality to the fans! That’s not how idols do it!
That’s true… In that case, what did Nice-P have in mind when he said we’ll be filming in two hours…?
Ehh~ There’s no point thinking over all of that, is there?
What we have to do will always be to show the best performance, no matter when.
Even if we tried figuring out Nice-P’s real intentions, the true answer can only ever be inside his mind. This isn’t some test done at a desk, so there’s no point in thinking, none!
More importantly, I wanna learn the choreography already!
You’re right. We’ve got a limited amount of time, so first things first; let’s hammer the choreography into our body until our dying breath!
An hour later…
Point and call…☆ Down, down, down… Hit the drums!6
Ohh! What’s that for a way to memorize something!? Let me try it out, too!
Wahaha, you wanna do it with me, Morisa~!?
Point and call…☆ Down, down, down… Hit the drums!
Good on the two of them to think up their own way of memorizing the choreography, but their strange approach to picking up on the beat is distracting me!
My bad! But honestly, it actually makes it easier to remember once you try it out!
How about you join us, Tomoe? Point and call…☆
Hmph, I will not! Quit disturbing my practice with that loud voice! Such terrible weather!
Ahaha, it’s rare to see Tomoe-senpai without any composure, huh…? But to be fair, this choreography barely leaves any space to breathe.
Bam, woosh! Shake my arms…
And Tsukinaga-senpai is already practicing on his own…
Ah~ No, I got it all wrong! The choreography for this song’s tough~
Mm. The moves are all coordinations I haven’t really done before. There’s also a lot of them, so it’s easy to get left behind by the beat.
But from my standpoint, it feels like you’re all doing incredibly well, just as one would expect. I mean, everyone’s already learned the moves by now, and are mostly focusing on how to ‘captivate’ the viewers through the dance.
Why, of course! This is nothing! I want to make sure my fans enjoy a new sight of myself as I perform in MODE/D!
Mhm. And I don’t wanna lose to Nice-P’s challenge! I’m gonna be the laughing stock if I don’t show the exact reason I was selected for this, y’know?
Yeah! It’s through overcoming trials that we can grow stronger! And hardships always lie in wait for the hero!
Justice will always prevail! Well, I don’t mean that Nice-P is the villain or anything, though!
Ahaha, just watching Morisawa-senpai gives me energy somehow. Takamine used to find it annoying a lot, but in times like these, I feel like it’s actually appreciated instead.
I’m also pretty confident with my dancing~♪ Practice time is pretty short before the actual thing, but I’ll be sure to put on a performance that matches everyone’s level!
Ooh, wonderfully said! That’s so admirable of you, Isara~!
Alright then, let’s have a match to see who can dance the best between us!
Sounds great! That’s just what I wanted!
Wahaha! ☆ Feels like everyone’s pumped with adrenaline! I love this sorta atmosphere! Let’s hype up the place more and more! ♪
Ah—! Maybe this sorta energy is what Nice-P wanted! Well, it’s just my hunch, though!
Ahh, I see. Somehow, I feel like everything makes sense now thanks to your words, Tsukinaga.
…Yeah. It’s like it all became perfectly clear to me.
Huh? For reals? Wahaha, I’m glad to know I said something nice, then!
But it wouldn’t be interesting if we left it at the extent that Nice-P had imagined, you know!
It’s by giving the best performance that could even surprise Nice-P that we can show the reason why we were selected for a Dream Unit!
Yeah! We have less than an hour now until filming, but… The four of us can definitely do it! Let’s fire ourselves up and deliver the greatest performance ever!
Later…
…(Watching MODE/D’s dance practice video)
(Whispering) Nice-P hasn’t said a word while watching our dance practice video.
(Whispering) How many times has he watched it by now? He keeps replaying the same parts and watching all over again; it’s making me nervous…
You two, save the talking. I believe Nice-P has just finished watching our video.
Nice-P! How was our dance?
…Nice! Very Nice, I must say!
I can feel your energy through the screen! There’s so much passion to every single part of the choreography!
(Replaying the video) Tomoe-kun’s gorgeous moves catch my eye even through a fixed camera. I can’t help but trail after him.
Morisawa-kun, too. The way he dances every part with all his might, never once cutting corners… It’s a delight to watch.
This part was wonderful, as well. When Isara-kun barely made it to his position, Tsukinaga-kun excellently covered for him.
It’s easy to tell that you’re all dancing while still keeping an eye on each other.
—A product that was carefully prepared until it’s perfected would naturally get you a Nice.
However, there lies energy to a product that has you desperately memorizing the moves until you have it perfected!
Those passionately hot feelings are overflowing from this PV of yours! It’s a splendid product that will have everyone watching get the urge to dance along with you! ☆
Thank you very much!
Heheh, I told you, didn’t I? “Failure’s impossible when I’m here”! ♪
You’ve presented me exactly— No, beyond what I had expected!
As your producer, I will give you one word as gratitude:
Nice…! ☆
Oohh! We got an extra-large Nice from Nice-P! This means our fans are going to absolutely enjoy this just as much, I’m sure of it!
For a while, I was worried about what might happen, but… I’m really excited for the day that everyone across the whole world gets to see this PV~♪
PV: Dance Practice Video
Every NICE DREAM UNIT has a special movie for promotion. For MODE/D, it was a Dance Practice Video filmed only 2 hours after practice. Please enjoy!
Leo & Chiaki & Hiyori: Yeah!
Tap on the hidden text to see what Nice-P was referring to in the story regarding the moment between Mao and Leo: At timestamp 0:31, Leo slides a little further to the right to ensure Hiyori doesn’t get blocked from view by Mao’s position.
Translation Notes
- ↑ Referring to the audition Mao was a part of, VS★PRINCESS. Contestants delivered a ball at the end, and Mao performed a pair dance with Leo.
- ↑ Mao is the youngest in the group, so he speaks politely to everyone in this story.
- ↑ Chiaki switches from his usual way of speaking to speak in polite language (keigo) with Nice-P.
- ↑ Referring to the audition Hiyori was a part of, VS★GOURMET. In the epilogue, Nice-P highly evaluates Hiyori.
- ↑ “Dance practice video” is said as dansu purakutisu douga; the first two words are English loan words, the last is Japanese. Here, Nice-P clarifies to them how it would translate to Japanese, but still keeps dansu as the English loan word.
- ↑ Leo is utilizing yubisashi kakunin. It’s originally a public safety method to point at indicators and call out their status to avoid mistakes, but Leo is using it for practice instead.